For sewing sails...
Ahhh, the beach was nirvana and it did not rain once! Not to mention, it was warm ;) I'm a happy girl. Am scurrying around getting ready for an art show (yay) but will write more later. Just wanted to say hello and share a few photographs of summer bliss. Hope you are in that summer state of mind (and body) too!
New ink drawing on paper! I took tons of inspiration photos on our trip and this is a favorite subject... old architecture including lighthouses! The French prism lenses get to me... they are so beautiful, ordered and geometric. I may have to brush up on my perspective skills before tackling an interior shot of the lens. (used Twinkling H2Os paint on this one - it's got some sparkle). It's soon to be in the etsy shop.
Where's Captain Jack Sparrow??
Beautiful fortress
Seamist
Tempting bill of fare
Mural at a lovely pub.
I finished up several gouache paintings today that had been percolating in the portfolio for quite some time. This scene is part of the fabulous little beach town of Cannon Beach. It's a good feeling to finally finish. It's now available in my etsy shop. Now on to the new!
A little glimpse into one of the latest art quilt drawings. The location of this one is inspired by my hometown. I hadn't planned the drawing this way, but changed my mind... it began to morph into (yet again) something about the seashore, coast, water etc. It's one of the many to be in the gallery show this March. I'm definitely feeling the pressure of a deadline! Happy Wednesday, y'all.
Foxglove with stones
Old Letterpress
I'm an avid reader of the wonderful blog, Spiritcloth by Jude Hill. She's so innovative and creative in her approach to fabrics, quilts and often includes water elements her work as
Love the sign... looks just like a woodcut.
I was dying to eat at this place... but we never made it. It didn't look very kid friendly either - but what a cute spot.. and the bill of fare - very tempting. That's the sign - Bistro - is the only name it had. Will try to find out if they have a web site!
We've just returned from a much needed, lovely trip to the beach and Portland, OR. It was great except for the fact that our car broke down as soon as we arrived in Portland (after about 6-7 hours of driving!) . We waited about an hour or more for a tow truck to come and take our sad car to the dealership and ended up renting a car so we could still get to our 'beach leg' of the trip. Who can tell what's going to happen in a day!?
Latest art quilt underway... it's summer, so of course I had to do a beach scene. Here it is drying in the hot sun. 
The old water table is new all over again. I can't believe the hours of fun both of the kids have had with this thing. Our son dumped sand in it because he wanted to create the 'bottom of the ocean'. I thought the notion was pretty cool... not to mention my 3 1/2 yr old daughter asking every day, "Mama, where is heaven?" Makes for great conversation.
Here's the Granny's Flower Garden quilt I've been working on since late spring. I've had to back off a bit from it since looking down for such long periods actually gave me a stiff neck. Who knew hand sewing was a hazard to the old bod.
German chamomile that was grown from seed. I'm very proud of these little flowers since it's the ONLY thing planted from seed that ever grew from my amateur gardening hands.
And all the while some good old fashioned jazz playing in the background. It's quickly becoming the soundtrack of summer 2010 for us at 'Midnight Pines'. (all the kids in the family chose that name for our dwelling since it houses a bunch of night owls... not to mention all the Ponderosa pines in the yard.) Happy weekend :
Here's how the penny rug/free form landscape turned out. It was hard to know when to stop... I wanted to add beading but resisted because I wanted it to remain simple and not too 'precious' looking. (but I do love beading!). This one has kelp attached to the rocks, sea jellies and a few starfish - plus a few fish hidden in the water. Without even realizing it, I've begun a series of water/swimmers. They just came from some more 'big paper sketches' done recently. These 2 friends have just been out at the beach sunning and swimming. Love the idea of a warm, bright fire after a day at the beach... sand in the toenails, salt on the skin and a good feeling of exhaustion.
More to come - click on photo to see more at flickr.
This man just arrived after a long journey. He got right out of his boat and walked onto the beach with his trunk. (just his boat is in the picture) As usual, it's unfinished... but am thinking it needs to be complete. Painted it from a vintage photograph from the late 19th century. Don't know if it's an American beach or ?? Love the mystery of old photographs... where did he come from and where was he going? They can be a bit creepy too - a la 'The Others'.
Trying to set aside some time at the easel today to finish up this painting... all this holiday stuff is getting in the way of making art! It is such fun though. This year for the first time... we'll have mom and grandma in our neck of the woods. Very exciting :) Have a great day.
After a long day at the beach... I escaped for a while to walk through town and discover all the galleries, shops, flowers and shingled shacks. I love the foxglove flower (digitalis). It's used to make the medication, Digoxin for the heart. Anyway, with a family full of medical people, I've been convinced I shouldn't grow it in my garden since it's a danger to children. Guess we'll have to wait til they're older but for now, I can enjoy it in someone else's 'adult garden' :)
Putting Out the Crab Pots
A few nights ago I had a chance to do a bit more painting... it's getting harder to get down there and keep 'the flow' going! I'm really eager to work more on these two! 
I'm doing something new... I'm making pillows out of my needle felted pieces. This one was inspired by the phases of the moon. I thought of the moon over the beach, and the moon's reflection on the dark water of the night. The colors are those of the water, sky and beach. I thought of these colors reflecting back up to the moon as it's passing through phases. It's over in my etsy shop with another new pillow. 
I know, I know... they call them 'Sea stars' now but I can't seem to make the change. These starfish had little nubs that looked like electric lights - especially the purple one on the right. These colors so so gorgeous, it's amazing how nature creates these combinations! Hmmm, I feel some inspiration coming on...
Another beachy felt piece. I'm not sure I want to keep the long yarn but it does make it more like real kelp... a kind of seaweed. I may do a version that is more randomly placed on a blue background... like it's floating or swaying in the water. I miss that sea air smell! Every time I do a beach or pool piece of art I feel a sadness that summer's almost gone. Autumn's my favorite season but the threat of the cold, dark winter is foreboding... where's my mantra?! Oh yeah, 'Live in the moment, live in the moment!' 
Inspiration from our trips to the beach in felt! I used different sizes of yarn and some random shapes that looked like waves - not quite sure I'm done with this one.
I couldn't resist painting this kite shop. It seems like such a care-free, barefoot kind of a place! Only in a beach village could I imagine such a shop with it's weather-beaten shingles, bay windows and driftwood quasi-fence in the front. It looks like it was some one's cottage at one time. I still have not finished the lower left corner or the windows quite yet. This will be a great image to gaze at in the thick of winter!
Sand sculpture contest
Purple Haze Lavender 
